Current Perspectives on the Tumor Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Overview

Journal Hepatol Int

Publisher Springer

Specialty Gastroenterology

Date 2020 Nov 14

PMID 33188512

Citations 42

Authors

Cositha Santhakumar

Edward J Gane

Ken Liu

Geoffrey W McCaughan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous inflammation-driven malignancy, which, despite significant advances in management, continues to portend a poor prognosis. Recent advances in basic and translational research have increasingly defined the role of the tumor microenvironment in the development and progression of HCC and facilitated the development of novel molecular targets. The hepatoma microenvironment is characterised by an immunosuppressive milieu of immune cells and tumor vasculature that is both structurally and functionally abnormal. Normalising the tumor microenvironment by adopting a multipronged approach that targets both carcinogenic processes and the immunosuppressive milieu has been supported by pre-clinical and clinical data. In this review, we summarise the current understanding of the hepatoma microenvironment, its influences and dynamic interactions with tumor cells, the vasculature and the gut. Finally, we discuss how manipulating the tumor microenvironment continues to shape the evolving landscape of HCC therapy.

Citing Articles

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Machine learning approach identifies inflammatory gene signature for predicting survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

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